The Archbishop of Canterbury is head of the Church of England and the symbolic leader of the Anglican Communion, which has 41 autonomous provinces.

“All diocesan bishops of the Church of England, including the archbishops, are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen following a nomination by the Crown Nominations Commission for the see,” Archbishop Justin Welby said in a July 12 statement. “Until now the wider worldwide Anglican Communion, outside of England, has been represented by just one of the 16 members of the Crown Nominations Commission for the See of Canterbury.”

“But under changes to the Standing Orders of the General Synod formally approved today, there will now be five representatives of other churches of the Anglican Communion – one each from Africa; the Americas; Middle East and Asia; Oceania and Europe.”